As my due date of Oct. 1 neared, it became clear that not only would this be a COVID birth, it would be during the three-week (or longer) lockdown in Israel.
I saw not only the beauty that Judaism has to offer, but slowly, the hand of G‑d in life’s little details. Little did I know that G‑d was setting in place the tools I would desperately need in my life, more than I ever could have imagined.
I can’t see clients in person or do treatments. I miss my clients, miss the personal human touch and contact with them, as well as with my friends and peers. My clinic is empty and so, like most of the world, is our tangible source of income.
I dialed the number for the Health Ministry. They told me that if the message was sent to me, it was not a mistake, and that I must go into quarantine for two weeks
Wouldn’t social distancing be ideal for me? Sure! If it weren’t for my husband and small children who also inhabit my two-bedroom condo. Throw in a baby who doesn’t yet sleep through the night, and you have the perfect recipe for a snippy wife and mother.
I wondered if all of my personal and professional work during the past 40 years could possibly sustain me and my loved ones and my beloved “students” (aka clients).
No children are in the street, no one is strolling. The parks are blocked off; all stores, except for supermarkets, are closed. It’s quiet. It’s empty. It’s eerie. It’s so sad, and I know it’s not just us. It’s the current state of the world.
This new situation has made me think more of my mortality and to appreciate life, but reading the stories of health-care professionals and hearing about all the death and suffering is taking a toll on even the strongest among us.
I view “Foresight” as a special gift. We are sometimes afforded the singular ability to look at our lives from the vantage point of “Hindsight,” with all the wisdom contained therein, yet with the chronological positioning to be able to let that wisdom influence the choices we make today.
She reached her ninth month and finally was just about to start her 38th week when her husband came home with the news that his coworker was diagnosed with COVID-19.